Did you realise that the peace park in Hiroshima was once one the city’s businest commercial and residential districts? I have visited Hiroshima a number of times and each time find it hard to believe that this wide,open
and peaceful area was such a hub of activity.

Hiroshima Peace Park

In these two photos, you can compare the the Peace Park fifty years apart and see that mature trees have grown around the concrete cenotaphs. The park today therefore resembles a place much more at peace with nature. But the location and memories crafted into concrete symbols around, continue to remind us of its’ somber legacy.

In the black and white photo below, the surrrounds show how little vegetation was present even 10-11 years following the devastation of the bombing.

1956 Hiroshima Peace Park

The cenotaph reads “Rest in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated.” Let us hope not.

Take a look at The Big Picture to see the news stories of Hiroshima 64 years ago.

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How did he survive not one, but two atomic bombs ?

The story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi is quite amazing.

He found himself in Hiroshima on a business trip on the morning of 6 August 1945. He was just three kilometres away from the blast of Ground Zero.

He then travelled to Nagasaki on the second day – he was determined to get home to his family in Nagasaki.
He arrived and the following day was just 3 kilometres away from the blast of Ground Zero.

He is now 93 and playing down the story. But he has finally been recognised by the governments of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a double-hibakusha or A-bomb victim.

The A-bom killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Below is a photo from our own family album.

It was taken in Hiroshima in 1959. The man in the photo had been born in 1938 in Hiroshima but moved with his family shortly afterwards to Tokyo. He was visiting the city to pay his respects. The photo taken in 1959 makes an interesting comparison with the structure taken almost 50 years later. It is a strong reminder of the terrible impact such weapons and war can have on our lives and the very fabric of our society.

Hiroshima 1959

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In Japan, the festival known as shichi-go-san is held annually on November 15. It celebrates three and seven year old girls and five year old boys. These numbers are seen traditionally to be lucky numbers and it is a practise that has continued since the Heian Period – 794-1185. The family visit a shrine or a temple and pray for health and happiness for their child.

In modern day Japan, it is lovely to see the traditions being kept alive. Its special to see the children being paraded at the shrines in kimono or hakama. The day is not a national holiday but rather observed on the nearest weekend.

After the visit to the shrine the parents buy chitose-ame or sweets/candy- for the children. The candy is shaped like a stick and comes in a bag that carries illustrations of cranes and turtles. These animals symbolise longevity in Japan.

What is so special is that we still have photos of our great-grandma, Sadako dressed in kimono at the age of three.

Sadako Toyoshima lived in Hiroshima. This is her in 1908 standing in front of her house waiting to go to the shrine. Her parents must have also expressed the wish that she led a long and prosperous life. Luckily, Sadako did.

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